Looking for a place to start when choosing a home

Hello!

After a little debate, I've decided survival is probably the best place to put this, since at the end of the day that's my intention.

Over the years I've learned a lot of things, and have been lied to more than a few times by the establishment. The more I learn the more I despise it- and the less I feel any hope of ever escaping it.

In that, I've decided to go on a personal journey. I want to spend about 1-2 hours researching each and every country on this planet to learn a little bit about them. Their government, their 'police', their policies, rights, and laws, climate, languages, industries, economy, etc. From there I intend to find out what dangers loom.

From there I intend to narrow down the list of places I, personally, would be willing to tolerate- if there are any, to research further.
The goal is to find a place that I'd like to be.

To start, I'm going to print off a list of every country- but that got me thinking... there's probably a resource out there that could save me a lot of time on this- perhaps a crowd-sourced one page summary of each country.

Some quick searching I found a "country profile" website from the BBC in which you choose a country and it gives you some basic stats.
Here's an example for Malaysia: www.bbc.com...

Does anyone here know of other resources that might give me a jump start on this project?

a reply to: lordcomac

www.yachtworld.com...

You might consider a place where your appearance will not cause you to stand out.

ETA: Frostie ... you're hilarious!

a reply to: lordcomac

I notice you listed them, but do you have any deal breaking factors?, that can help you narrow down the majority of these countries?

For me it would be laws and weather. For me, I need it cold, so well there goes 2/3 of the world.

When you say survival what are you expecting?
Prepping for TEOTWAWKI?
Or just a nice global economic depression?
My choice would be a chateau in Switzerland.
Unfortunately, some bankster probably wouldn't give it to me.

This site might help you

Countries of the World

Each Country Profile provides information on:
Geography · Maps · Flag · History · Current ruler · Area · Population · Capital · Largest cities · Languages · Ethnicity/race · Religion · Literacy rate · Economy · Government

www.infoplease.com...

Is medical an issue ? Should you consider hospitals and medical care?

originally posted by: frostie
a reply to: lordcomac

For me it would be laws and weather. For me, I need it cold, so well there goes 2/3 of the world.

You could get a beautiful Princess to create a snow cloud that followed you around....

The question you need to ask first? How much money do you have access to?

a reply to: lordcomac
Trying to second-guess the possibilities of danger and fixing on a "safe place" is a very tricky operation.
I read of a man who convinced himself that there was going to be a nuclear war enveloping the northern hemisphere. In order to escape this, he thought he should move himself to the southern hemisphere, preferably an isolated island.
That's how he found himself in the Falkland islands, just in time for the Argentine invasion.

I once saw an American being interviewed on British television, demonstrating on a map how almost every portion of the United States had long-term dangers of one kind or another, what with tornadoes, earthquakes, potential tsunamis, and so on. His conclusion was the the only really safe area was Idaho.
Almost the next thing I know, there is a news report about a police gun-siege at a house in Idaho. This raises the suspicion that half the nutters of the United States had been making the same calculation as the man being interviewed and had descended upon Idaho, turning it from a safe place into a less safe place.

There is a story (from the Arabian Nights?) about a man who nearly bumped into Death (who looked a little startled) in the market of Aleppo. He was so frightened by this that he rode all day to get to Damascus and make his escape.
And that's where Death found him again. "I must adnit that I was surprised to see you in Aleppo this morning", observed Death, "because I knew we had an appointment here in Damascus in the evening".

Wow, what a range of responses!
Thank you all so much

For starters, TEOTWAWKI happens every day- I have no idea what to expect in the future, and safety is, of course, relative.

As for what I mean by survival, I just intend to live out my life. Money isn't exactly plentiful, but depending on where I go I can "earn" a fair bit of fiat currency. Of course, I don't expect it will really matter in 20+ years.

I have no real medical conditions that would require nearby hospitals (unless I injure myself, which I aim not to do!)

Laws and weather do have a lot to do with it. I like it "cold" compared to most people- but at the same time, I intend to grow much of my food, which I can't realistically do where I am now. Today, it was -23c before windchill when I woke up. Short growing season, lots of firewood required.
As for laws, I'm getting real tired of the local citizen harassment squads, and year to year they just keep getting worse. Out of sight out of mind, which brings me to my next point.
Personally, I want land. A hundred acres to myself is my goal, but I can't reasonably do it where I am.


I've convinced myself that the first step is finding a place where the laws are somewhat relaxed and there's freedom from overbearing government- but I'm also not looking to fend off drug mafia and that sort of thing either.
To do that, I want to take the top-down approach of starting with everything and ruling places out, one at a time.

a reply to: lordcomac

Important question, what country do you currently live in?

Some important factors:

1. Do you speak the native language? (or will you learn it?)
2. Do you share commonalities with the native culture?
3. What will you do for income? (is that well-paying there?)
4. Does your money go far there? (for example, dollar goes further in different countries)
5. Does the government have a history of seizing private property?
6. How stabile is the government?
7. Do you stand out from the natives?
8. Do you like the climate?
9. Is there rural, out of the way land there?
10. Do you need to be near loved ones, etc.?

So many, many other factors here. You have to consider these, before any arbitrary list will help.

Gazrok,
I fear that the arbitrary list is just the starting point. While all of those are very important questions, they all need to be weighted against other factors and eachother. Without knowing my options I can't even begin to decide what's most important

Atsbhct,
I currently live in one of the less terrible corners of the US of A, but I don't see things going in a direction I like.

originally posted by: lordcomac
From there I intend to narrow down the list of places I, personally, would be willing to tolerate-

One important thing to consider is:-

Are those countries willing to tolerate a free loading yank who will not have a job, not a huge mount of money, and looks like they want to bludge of society!

a reply to: hellobruce

Excuse me?

I don't believe I said anything about freeloading, not having a job, OR society. If anything I'd like as little to do with the local society as possible- hence getting the hell out of a country that gives no respect to personal freedom. If that means I need to work out earning enough money to pay off the local gestapo that's what it means, but I won't know that until I sit down and do research on my options. That's what this thread was created for.
If this thread is going to degrade into slinging mud I'd just as soon have it closed.

originally posted by: lordcomac
a reply to: hellobruce


If this thread is going to degrade into slinging mud I'd just as soon have it closed.

I don't think that was the intent. The issues raised are valid. An American intending to park in another country is going to face some unique issues. One way or another you're going to have to interact with the local culture and somehow pay your way. How you do that, including your attitude, will determine how successful you are. People are generally very territorial, and if you go somewhere different, you are invading it.

If you truly want to be away from civilization altogether, you can more easily do that in America where there are plenty of remote places left, without any of the negatives of moving into a foreign culture. Because, frankly, if you want to find a place with less government intrusion, there aren't many places in the world that intrude on your life any less than here.

This right here would be the most comprehensive data collection on the countries of the world that I personally know of.

The World Fact Book

www.cia.gov...

Yep that's right it's a CIA website so if that makes you squeamish I'm afraid I really don't have much else to offer you.


ETA: Well there is one thing.....New Zealand.

a reply to: Kukri

That's exactly what I was going to post - with the caveat, take it with a barrel of salt.

a reply to: lordcomac

Coming from the US, there aren't a huge amount of countries that you could move to that have vast amounts of land you could purchase at a good price.

Canada is huge of course, but, like most places, it's harder to move to as a single person.

Australia has vast amounts of land, but also spiders in the toilet.

Brazil has some land left to purchase, but you would want to get in before too much agricultural purchasing keep happening.

I would personally suggest trying out Alaska. You're all ready a US resident, and it may be easier to try out the isolation you might like.

Asian countries like the Phillipines and Thailand are nice as a retirement/relocation option; (big) BUT, the languages can be hard to learn as an adult, so it may make finding an assimilated job more difficult.

originally posted by: Atsbhct
a reply to: lordcomac

Coming from the US, there aren't a huge amount of countries that you could move to that have vast amounts of land you could purchase at a good price.

Canada is huge of course, but, like most places, it's harder to move to as a single person.

Australia has vast amounts of land, but also spiders in the toilet.

Brazil has some land left to purchase, but you would want to get in before too much agricultural purchasing keep happening.

I would personally suggest trying out Alaska. You're all ready a US resident, and it may be easier to try out the isolation you might like.

Asian countries like the Phillipines and Thailand are nice as a retirement/relocation option; (big) BUT, the languages can be hard to learn as an adult, so it may make finding an assimilated job more difficult.

plus those places have growing islamic insurgencies. their peace is in question from that. also China has a policy of establishing island buffer zones. their current strategy is to fight any invader (read America) outside their mainland to attrit any conventional invader then lead them into the mainland to finish them off. It's insane but that is their conventional war strategy. This is why they are pushing bogus territorial claims on outlier islands of the philipines, japan, malaysia, korea and vietnam. Thus none of the asian islands are gonna be all that secure. This is not conjecture it is in their military strategic white papers.